1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention are related to the field of electronic devices, and in particular, to network devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Wireless communication systems typically are constructed pursuant to standards promulgated by a regulatory or quasi-regulatory body. For instance, the IEEE 802.11 standard, 1999 edition and subsequent amended variants thereof, promulgated by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering) is a wireless LAN standard pertaining generally to communications at various wireless frequencies including a 5 GHz range and a 2.4 GHz range. The IEEE 802.11 standard specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client, e.g, a mobile client station, and a base station or access point, as well as among wireless clients. Set forth in such wireless standards are specifications for a Media Access Control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer. The standards permit wireless medium sharing between different devices having compatible physical layers. Asynchronous data transfer on the wireless medium may utilize a number of different access methods, such as Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA).